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Building 215 upgrades are set for completion in 2017

(2015 June 16) The final Phase of the Tritium Facility Relocation (TFR) Project is underway. As part of the multistage strategy to vacate and decommission Building 250, plans to repurpose and revitalize Building 215 are now in motion. The project will involve the relocation of the existing tritium facility and related laboratory operations, as well as the relocation of 10 personnel.

With the completion of Building 137’s Hydrogen Isotopes Technology Laboratory, and the Building 350 complex currently under construction, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is eager to mobilize the Building 215 updates as the final piece of the Building 250 relocation puzzle.

Building 215 3D model

The updates for Building 215 are set to include the design and construction of four different laboratory spaces: a High Level R&D Laboratory, Gas Standard Preparation and Low-Level R&D Laboratories and a Low Level Counting Laboratory. These labs will be equipped with the necessary specialty equipment to work with tritium. The High Level R&D Laboratory will consist of six fume hoods and two inert atmosphere glove boxes. The glove boxes will allow the facility to work with large amounts of tritium in either the elemental (T2) or oxide (HTO) form. The Gas Standard Preparation and Low-Level R&D Laboratory will soon contain two air-purged enclosures and fume hoods which allows for work to be executed involving small amounts of tritium (10’s to 100’s of curies). The Low Level Counting Laboratory will house the liquid scintillation counting equipment used for tritium measurements and contamination monitoring within the facility.

TFR Project Lead, Thomas Mitchell, believes that the execution of this project is a big step in the right direction for CNL. “CNL has a long history as a world leader in tritium research. Making the necessary renovations to ensure the smooth transition of the tritium labs into a new and improved Building 215 will help maintain and even strengthen this reputation. From this new location we can and will continue to support Canadian and international tritium handling facilities, but it also gives us the capacity to expand our services into the future.”

The building’s design has been prepared using an intelligent based modeling process called Building Information Modeling (BIM). This 3D modeling process allows the designer to eliminate construction clashes and verify that the complex building requirements for the laboratory could be incorporated into the existing space.

Renovations will also consist of the construction of a two-story addition for office and mechanical space. These areas will include ten work spaces, a conference room, washrooms, showers, change rooms, a ventilation system, and areas for electrical and IT services. A smaller separate addition will also be built to accommodate receiving and storage.

Building 215 is nearing the end of its design and implementation planning and is currently on time and on budget. The project’s construction is expected to start this summer and construction and installation of all specialty equipment is expected to be complete in 2017.